Variety is the key

Uncle Doug - I was talking to my neighbor this morning and he said to go out and buy a bunch of rice and beans for pandemic preparations.  Should I go by a bunch of rice and beans?

Do you like rice and beans?  I like rice and beans but I would hate to have to eat rice and beans day after day.  As a matter of fact I made 16 bean soup (Goya 16 bean soup mix as the base) and added some rice to it just last week.  It was great especially since there was a pork loin chopped up in it.  But after 2 days that was enough.  Eating that without an end in sight would depress me even though it was one of the best things I had eaten this last year.

Variety in meals and life is a key to being happy.  Get more of the stuff you normally eat.  I am sure there is variety there.  I just looked in the pantry and there is a huge variety stuff:
Rice
Beans
Pasta
Ragu pasta sauce
Ramen
Tuna Fish
Hash
Canned chicken
Soups of different types

There will be power and water for the pandemic so in in my refrigerator and freezer and I see all sorts of stuff.  In there I have:
Banquet Pot Pies - $0.97/ea - The best deal going for quick food
Chicken breasts
TV dinners
Sandwich meat
Sausage

All of this stuff is normally at the house so even if the pandemic goes away I am good and have wasted nothing.  The key is just go buy what you normally buy and just buy just an extra week or two of stuff.   If you can't afford that then buy a few dollars more of your normal stuff.  Extra bag of rice (not a 50 lbs bag), couple cans of your normal soup, noodles,  package of hot dogs and you are ahead of the game and have not wasted a dime.

Key is variety, don't panic and think through the problem.

Hormel Mary Kitchen Roast Beef Hash

Uncle Doug, I bought some hash.  How do I cook it?

Well first of all, good for you for getting some food in your pantry but you should have gotten stuff you normally cook so you would not have this question. Uncle Doug likes hash, so I have some in my pantry.  I usually make it from scratch or more appropriately, from leftovers. That is what hash is,  meat, potatoes, onion, chopped up fine and then fried, aka: dinner leftovers from a couple of nights ago.  

A lot of folks cook corned beef hash.  Corned beef is not my favorite so I tend to avoid that but roast beef hash is out there and I found some from the nice folks at Hormel.  14oz of product in the can or roughly 2 cups of food.  I got it at Walmart for $2.39 a can.   This is something I actually keep on the shelf and have once every couple of months when I am looking for a heavy breakfast.

When you open the can it is not very appetizing.  Think pet food.  Take a taste, it is safe and all you will taste is salty grease.  It has to be cooked to get the real flavor going.  

Hash from a can is super easy to cook.  Just scrape it out of the can into a non-stick skillet.  I do mean scrape because it will be stuck to the inside of the can.    Don't worry if some of the fat has separated, it is still good so long as the can is intact and not bulging.

Once in the skillet just fry it up over medium heat.  Mix it a couple of times to make sure all of it gets browned.  It takes a just a couple of minutes.  You know it is done when the pink meat is brown and it starts to get a little crunch.  If you taste it now you will see the huge improvement from when it was cold.

Just going that far makes a good meal.  But we can do better.  This is where real cooking starts.  Take something that is good and make it great.  So what can we do.

I do not know how but Hormel forgot the onions and garlic.  So as you cook this add some minced onion.  I used dried minced onion but fresh onion sweated before you add the hash would be even better but would be more work.  Include a pinch of garlic as you cook it for more flavor.  A shake or two of black pepper  and you have a great dish.  DO NOT add any salt.  It already has plenty of salt which is one of the problems with most canned meat.  You can try adding a dash of Worcester or Teriyaki sauce or even add some ketchup for some more taste but go easy, you can always add more but you can not take it out.

Serve over toast or a English muffin, add some eggs and cheese, chop up a pepper and you get a dish that is served in many fine dining establishments.  Hormel even has a recipe site at https://hormel.com/Brands/Hormel-Mary-Kitchen-Hash if you want to go fancy.

There is enough in the 14oz can for 2 people.  Very calorie dense (which is why I only eat it every couple of months) with 700 calories of food in the can.  The shelf life is 3 years or so.    

How to use your N95 Mask

Ok;  Uncle Doug understands everyone is ignoring him and is panicking.  So if you are going to panic, at least panic right.

I am going to share some information with you all on how to use all cool survival things you have purchased so you actually use them right.

First off, how to use all of those masks you have bought:

https://youtu.be/zoxpvDVo_NI

Corona Virus 3 day cone on uncertainty - March 1, 2020

Uncle Doug, This virus is all over the news.  What should I do?

Well guys,  we are now down to that 3 day cone of uncertainty in hurricane terms.  What does that mean, it means we are going to get wet.  How windy and wet is the question now.  Is it just going to be a sprinkle or a is it going to be a Category 5 hurricane is what the uncertainty is.

REMEMBER - NO PANIC - STAY CALM.  But the 3 day cone means that Jim Cantore has a hotel reservation in your town so you have to take this serious.

If you have been following along, you should be doing fine.  You have already stocked up your normal weekly stuff so you should be good.  If you have been ignoring Uncle Doug then get to the store and get your pantry full of your normal stuff.   Frozen food is good for the Pandemic, the electricity should stay on as should the water.  This is just having to stay in and not grab fast food every day.

What do I need to do differently?   A Couple of things.  You need to top off you pantry.  Instead of going to the store for groceries once a week, go 2 or 3 times until this event passes.  That way nothing gets low.    You should keep your car over 1/2 a tank (Just a good idea).  Get plenty of sleep, get outside for sunshine, wash your hands often, stay away from crowds.  Going to a concert or a movie is bad.  Taking a walk, working outside on those put off chores is good.

So what to plan for?   Have 2 weeks of food you will eat happily.  Those artichoke hearts and old can of cranberry sauce don't count.   Find your cold and flu meds that are around the house so you will not be searching if you feel bad.   On medications,  make sure your prescriptions are filled.   Got plenty of toilet paper, soap, laundry detergent?  Make sure you have 2 weeks of that as well.

No need to panic, but you have to take stock and keep the stock levels up.  This will all pass in a few months.

I need a mask

Uncle Doug,  Do I need a Corona Virus Mask?

Look, If it makes you feel better, sure but is is going to help, not that much.   What most people are talking about when they say a corona virus mask is an N95 paper face mask.  It is not really paper but you get my drift.   It will filter 95% of particles, but the corona virus is tiny and what about the 5%.

It will also keep you from touching your nose and mouth with your hands, so I guess it will help with that as well.  But will it keep you safe not really.

These masks are real useful for keeping people from spreading the virus.  Someone has a mask on and coughs or sneezes, the mask catches all that stuff.  They will not be typhoid mary.

Well what about a P100 mask?  Works better, will filter 99.97% of stuff but still not perfect.  Unless it is a full face mask the virus can still get in your via your eyes, and open sore, you name it, the virus can try and get in (ok viruses are not intelligent, but it sure seems like it sometimes).

The only way to be really protected is by wearing what is called a moon suit.  You will look funny but will be safe until you take it off.   The outside could still have the virus on it so you will have to decontaminate.   How do I do that?   Get 1 or 2 or 3 of your friends to wash you off, make that scrub you off with bleach or some other disinfectant  in your suit before you take it off and then carefully get out while still behaving that the outside is covered with bugs.  You may want to do this once or twice before your actually start taking it off.

How do I know this.  Well back in the day I got to try this out.  I was the kid in the suit and before they decontaminated me a nice person misted some florescent stuff on me.  They guys (I can't remember if it was 2 or 3) doing the decon then scrubbed me down and rinsed me off and then they took a black light to see if they did a good job.  I got washed down 3 times before no more florescent stuff on the outside.   These guys were not experts yet, but they had been trained so it is not easy.

Well what can I do.  Wash your hands.  Stay away from folks that appear sick.  Wash your hands again.  Don't touch your face unless you have just washed your hands.   This is probably just as effective as wearing an N95 mask.

Should I worry about the Coronavirus. February 26, 2020

Should I worry now?  It has been a couple of weeks and things have changed as they always do but is it time to worry?   NO, but it is time to go from watching the forecast once a day to watching the news in the morning,  at lunch, at dinner and before bed.

Remember, I am still using the hurricane analogy.

Well the CDC (I will call them the weather forecaster) told us to get prepared in their press conference yesterday.  This is the same as the weather forecaster saying we are now in the 5 to 7 day cone of uncertainty.   We have to watch close but not run around in a panic.  Jim Cantore is not here and has not made flight arrangements so it is not time to worry (but I am sure he has the flight schedules out).

But it is time to get the sane preparations done.   No more putting it off.  You should do it tonight or in the morning, don't wait until Friday.  What are sane preparations?    The same things I talked about a week or so ago.   Did you take my last set of advice and make sure you topped off your normal foods?  Not running low on toilet paper are we?  Have laundry detergent and paper plates?    Do you have a this weeks and next weeks shopping done?  We now want to keep the pantry topped off.

If you are good take a breath, relax.  If not, go and take care of the shopping.  No panicking but you want to go before you are there with the crowds and all of the the bread, milk and beer is gone.  Hurricanes, snowstorms up North, it always happens this way.

Next steps in the plan for those wanting wanting to know.   When we get to the 3 day cone (aka: a small outbreak or two) then we fill up the gas cans and keep the cars filled up.   Limit our exposure to others by only going to work and getting supplies.  Stop eating out ( I will want to know who has prepared my food) and just laying low until the all clear.   In the 3-day cone, there is still a good chance it will miss us but we have to actually get serious.

Uncle Doug,  My neighbor is out buying camping food and a years worth of Beans and Rice.  Should I do that?   Nope,  That is panicking and we never want to panic.  A couple weeks of food is prudent,  a couple of years of food is over the top unless you are getting ready for the second coming.    Be prudent.

Should I worry about the Coronavirus. February 15, 2020

Should you worry about the Coronavirus -  No!
Should you keep a weather eye on the Coronavirus -  Yes!

Seeing a lot of things over the years, it is good to keep informed and keep a lookout,  but going all chicken little usually just silly.  Ignoring what is going on is dumb as well.   I look at the this flu like a lot of other things and try and be prudent.

I am treating this just like a hurricane when it forms way off in the Atlantic.  I am keeping an eye on it and following the news.  When I get in the 5 day "cone of uncertainty" I will will then start to get concerned, but we are not there yet here in Florida.  If I see Jim Cantore (the weather channel) show up outside of my house (or in this case folks from the CDC show up in my town) then I will definitely worry, but that time is NOT now.  Maybe if I was in Asia I would have a different outlook.

I also am am also doing what I do at the beginning of hurricane season.  I use the first hurricane and something like this to take stock of my hurricane checklist to see if everything is still good in it.  If you live in  California or elsewhere on the West coast you probably have an earthquake kit, in the north or midwest you probably have a storm kit.  Same idea here in Florida with the hurricane kit.

Once you go through a few hurricanes or a couple of earthquakes you have a kit.  It might not be all in a box but you have a checklist of stuff you will need to hunker down for a few days to a week if you are stuck in the house.  Don't believe Uncle Doug,  How about Uncle Sam.  Ready.gov has a site on what you should have in a disaster kit for your family.

So Uncle Doug, what have you done so far.  I checked and made sure the pantry was full of our normal stuff.  Got some extra Toilet Paper (we were running a little low).  Went by the bank and got a little cash.   I did not close my 401k,  I did not buy a years worth of MREs, I did not go crazy and neither should you.